Interviews carried out as part of this project reveal that despite the range and high quality of activity already taking place across the country, many obstacles remain. Some observations and recommendations are offered here for consideration.

Fundraising is a major task and raises concern for the sustainability of these projects. Animation projects typically require extensive preparation time, especially when involving partner organisations, and additional support personnel when dealing with issue-based work. Participation fees have proven to be a deterrent to involvement, which means very limited or no potential for earned revenue. Efforts to decrease expenses by limiting the time frame of a project will affect both the potential for a meaningful interaction to occur between artists and participants, and the quality of the end product or presentation by which so many of these projects end up being evaluated.

A primary consideration in determining the success of any animation activity is an assessment of the project's outcomes against its goals. Quantitative models of evaluation can be problematic in measuring results of animation projects. Methods of evaluation that are flexible and sensitive to the nuances of this work need to be developed. Intrinsic to this is an examination of the level of engagement and quality of experience for participants, artists, and others, including administrators and any partner organisations. Much would be gained with a more robust consideration of the evaluation methods we use, clearer articulation of what we want to assess, and deeper contemplation of who is invited to develop and contribute to those evaluation systems.

Continuing professional development and training to meet the challenges of working in community settings, and the inherent costs, are an ongoing concern. Post-secondary arts education institutions need to acknowledge today's reality of the multi-faceted careers of many artists. If this work is to be encouraged, artists need to be better prepared to work effectively in community and educational contexts, with skill sets that differ from and may be additional to those used in professional settings. Additional work is required around the issues of accreditation and quality assurance, to validate the practice and acknowledge the complexities of the animateur's role.

Other barriers also exist. Some attitudinal biases surrounding the value and place of animation in the dance ecology continue to limit its potential. Prescriptive curricula, large class sizes, class management issues, and rigid schedules have been highlighted as obstacles to achieving meaningful encounters with students. A lack of clarity as to the role of animateurs or dance artists in school settings has hindered the development of more supportive and respectful partnerships with teachers.

This research and other commissioned work examining artists' practices in community settings demonstrate a keen interest and strong belief in the importance of this work on the part of the Canada Council for the Arts. As an advocacy tool for dance animation and a means to engage and animate the dance community, these stories will contribute to the strategic development of dance animation and community-based dance practice in Canada. This collection supports arguments for the positive social impacts of this work, and the pivotal role artists can play in achieving those benefits. The stories also highlight a diverse range of dance animation activities produced by a vibrant community of dance practitioners and support agencies. Further consultation and research is needed to overcome barriers.